Portugal - anyone interested?

So after 28 jornadas this is how things are:

1. FC Porto 65 28
2. Sporting 62 28
3. Benfica 61 28

Remaining games:

Porto:
Paços Ferreira (A)
Aves (H)

SPORTING:
Académica (A)
Belenenses (H)

BENFICA:
Setúbal (A)
Académica (H)

Paços are in 6 spot and looking for their first ever trip to Europe, they should be a difficult match for Porto. Both Sporting and Benfica lost points there...they did afterall go an entire year without loosing a home game.

Should Porto and Sporting finish with the same points Sporting has the head-to-head advantage. With a possible 68 available, Sporting could stil be champion this season, even if we don't pass Porto in points.

Of course Benfica is still close, so who knows what will happen. It's been a good race really.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Sporting's also set to play the Cup final against Belenenses who are currently in 4th. Anyone dreaming of the double???

Here is to Sporting just nicking the title

When is the final game played? It seems like you ending the season quite early.

I hope you will get the same ending as here in Holland! But with Sporting as the winner!!

I like Maritimo...how are they doing?

Last game is on the 20th of this month.

We need Porto to lose one of their remaining two matches to have a chance. Again, in the head-to-head, we have the advantage as we tied in Lisbon, but won in Porto.

Benfica however doesn't have that advantage as they lost in Porto and tied in Lisbon. They'll be behind Porto if they tie on points, so their situation is a little tougher.

I really hope these guys get the business done as it would mean so much to the club right now. These guys are pretty young and getting some silverwear under their belts would really galvanize the team for the future.

Maritimo is currently 9th out of a 16 team league, with 32 pts.

We did have 18, but they've lowered it down to 16 this season. The 30 game season, as opposed to 34, means there's less room for error...hope Sporting didn't realise that too late.

Fey wrote:I hope you will get the same ending as here in Holland! But with Sporting as the winner!!

Thanks

Hopefully the football gods are listening!

btw, I'm in Lisbon right now.

toon h wrote:btw, I'm in Lisbon right now.

Good man.

Spin by the Alvalade and pick up a scarf, the club could use the cash and you know you'd look good in green

Get some pasteis de Belem too...they're good...even if they are from Belem.

Força Sporting

Yeah we are interested but our Portugese friends have seemed to abandon us.

Dark Savante wrote:Yeah we are interested but our Portugese friends have seemed to abandon us.

Looks that way doesn't it. Not much for me to talk about these days...been staying away myself.

There's some good stuff going on, but no one to share it with. Kinda sucks really.

Luso wrote:

toon h wrote:btw, I'm in Lisbon right now.

Good man.

Spin by the Alvalade and pick up a scarf, the club could use the cash and you know you'd look good in green

Get some pasteis de Belem too...they're good...even if they are from Belem.

let's see if I have time. I have a friend here who's a Sporting supporter as well.

I'm at the Parque das Nacoes, not sure whether it is far. Are there any games during the week?

I hope Sporting win.

For my money they are as entertaining as any team in Europe on their day.

The problem with a team like Sporting is perfectly illustrated by their CL group.

They are a better footballing side than Bayern or Inter but you compare their average age and height to these 2 !!!

Its quite depressing really - they will never go that far as they can't threaten from corners and FK's crossed into the box which makes all the difference at the top level.

Anderson Polga is a great defender but is about 6ft nothing and can't score at corners like Pepe or Luisao - he's the tallest outfield player probably !

If Porto slip up like you think they will you can snatch it but you may pay for not holding on after that great start in the Benfica match.

If you did win on head to head then Tello's free kick in Porto would be worthy of winning the championship.

Good luck

toon h wrote:

Luso wrote:

toon h wrote:btw, I'm in Lisbon right now.

Good man.

Spin by the Alvalade and pick up a scarf, the club could use the cash and you know you'd look good in green

Get some pasteis de Belem too...they're good...even if they are from Belem.

let's see if I have time. I have a friend here who's a Sporting supporter as well.

I'm at the Parque das Nacoes, not sure whether it is far. Are there any games during the week?

That's where my office is.

Jesus Christ Lads, why all this support for Sporting???

To be honest it will need a catastrophy for anyone to win it apart from Porto... Benfica lost it in the direct confrontation with Porto, Boavista and Braga (3 points out of 18 ).

Could not be bothered who wins it if not Benfica.

BTW I am still interested and here!

pauloduarte wrote:Jesus Christ Lads, why all this support for Sporting???

To be honest it will need a catastrophy for anyone to win it apart from Porto... Benfica lost it in the direct confrontation with Porto, Boavista and Braga (3 points out of 18 ).

Could not be bothered who wins it if not Benfica.

BTW I am still interested and here!

Hehe, because unlike you guys (SLBs, FCPs)...the other posters on here are actually good people

I don't see Benfica winning it, they can still finish 2nd, but don't see first; Sporting, unlikely, but it can still happen.

@Pierre

Polga doesn't score, but Tonel does and he's actually taller than Polga. Veloso isn't that small either, 6ft, and he has a good build to him.

Liedson, who is short, actually scores against the bigger CBs such as Luisão pretty often, he was in poor form this CL though...if not who knows. When paired with Yannick we're pretty light-weight up front though.

In general though, yea, the richer clubs tend to have larger stronger players. Moutinho is great, but he's not scaring anyone. Still, I think next years' CL will be different for Sporting with the added experience. If Alecs stays and becomes half-decent, or someone like him, we'll have more options in attack. I think we have a good base right now, just need to fix some problem areas.

BTW, nice to have some Tuga contribution on here again!

Hi Luso! I cant promise a regular contribution due to work and because I post in two other forums, but will keep my eye in here!!!

I agree with you its difficult, actually impossible, for Benfica to win it and difficult for Sporting as well. Both the teams lost the opportunity when Porto lost the game if either of them had beaten the other then the opportunity was there to win the league.

To be fair from what I saw of PT football this year all three are very weak compared to the yesteryears and Porto is probably the better of the three followed by Sporting and then Benfica!

Also what I suggested to my best friend (sportinguista de gema!) looks like is going to happen, Nani to Man Utd to turn him into another superstar for Portugal.

I is back, word is Cardiff City will be playing some friendlies in Portugal in mid July (rumoured all 3 of the big boys) anybody got any news and dates of the matches. Cheers Frank

Welcome back Frank.

The-Frank-Tavern wrote:I is back, word is Cardiff City will be playing some friendlies in Portugal in mid July (rumoured all 3 of the big boys) anybody got any news and dates of the matches. Cheers Frank

I have heard nothing.

pauloduarte wrote:Jesus Christ Lads, why all this support for Sporting???

To be honest it will need a catastrophy for anyone to win it apart from Porto... Benfica lost it in the direct confrontation with Porto, Boavista and Braga (3 points out of 18 ).

Could not be bothered who wins it if not Benfica.

BTW I am still interested and here!

Hehe you know people always like the underdogs and gladly we are used to winning lots. Still i prefer to be a winner rather than a nice club everybody likes (we had been in than situation too much time really, and i tell you i'll prefer silverware anyday of the week )

Seriously, it is anybody's title, from the top 2 IMO as Benfica would need too many results from the last games. I have seen stranger things happen though (check the dutchies ).

But now we have super Andresson back, Pepe and Quaresma for the last 2 games of the season.

Força Porto

pauloduarte wrote:Hi Luso! I cant promise a regular contribution due to work and because I post in two other forums, but will keep my eye in here!!!

I agree with you its difficult, actually impossible, for Benfica to win it and difficult for Sporting as well. Both the teams lost the opportunity when Porto lost the game if either of them had beaten the other then the opportunity was there to win the league.

To be fair from what I saw of PT football this year all three are very weak compared to the yesteryears and Porto is probably the better of the three followed by Sporting and then Benfica!

Also what I suggested to my best friend (sportinguista de gema!) looks like is going to happen, Nani to Man Utd to turn him into another superstar for Portugal.

Hey, sure thing, just good to have some feedback..I'll take whatever I can get.

Although I really hope you're wrong about the derby result, it's obviously the most realistic conclusion. The one thing neither team should have done was lose points, and they both ended up doing that.

The result wasn't great, and by no means was I happy at the end.

The-Frank-Tavern wrote:I is back, word is Cardiff City will be playing some friendlies in Portugal in mid July (rumoured all 3 of the big boys) anybody got any news and dates of the matches. Cheers Frank

Damn Frank, it's certainley been quite a while.

Welcome back buddy.

Protheus, you're usually a much more modest guy...smell blood do you?

cheers mate, if city play in portugal in july looking to drive over from Marbella for the matches and camp nearby. should be good if it comes off.

Luso wrote:Protheus, you're usually a much more modest guy...smell blood do you?

Hehe not really just spicing up a lil bit.

Before a team wins something mathematicly it is everybody's game really. But i fancy Porto's odds.

Then again i never take things for granted, we'll see.

It is going to be 2 exciting rounds

The-Frank-Tavern wrote:I is back, word is Cardiff City will be playing some friendlies in Portugal in mid July (rumoured all 3 of the big boys) anybody got any news and dates of the matches. Cheers Frank

Good to know mate! !